and everything nice

Co-op Calgary is running a mystery box recipe contest – the Home Cooked Challenge – for a chance to win a gift card. It’s not anything huge but was too fun to pass up! Just like Master Chef, they have chosen a selection of ingredients that must be used in the dish. This mystery box? Duck, onions, garlic, zucchini and avocado. I normally cook duck with a sweet or Asian inspired flavor, so I had to really think about how to make these odd ball ingredients work together. I was pretty happy with my recipe, which I think really showcased everything in the mystery box!

1) Prepare the duck; clean with cold water and trim off excess fat, reserve the giblets for stock if desired. To spatchcock or “butterfly” the duck; using kitchen shears, cut along the one side of the backbone, from back to front, then cut along the other side. Remove the backbone and add to giblets if making stock. Once the backbone is removed, flip the bird over and press firmly in the center to flatten.

2) Place the duck, breast side up, in a large roasting pan and drizzle generously with olive oil. Prick the skin all over with a sharp knife.

3) In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and zest, thyme leaves, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar. Stir together until sugar dissolves.

4) Pour the vinegar orange mixture all over the duck, rubbing the thyme and orange zest into the skin. Season with salt and pepper.

5) Leave duck to marinade in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight.

6) Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

7) Place duck in the center rack of the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy. If liquid is dissolving, add a couple tbsp of water to the pan to prevent burning.

8) Cut the onions in half and then into quarters with large angled slices. Put in a small bowl, add rosemary, then dress with vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.

9) Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees, add 1 cup water and the onions to the pan, and cook a further 1 hour, checking once during cook time and stirring the onions.

10) Prepare the salsa; toss together all ingredients and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

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Published by Mrs_Sandiego

I am a born and raised Calgarian, apart from a few years living in Australia. My passions are cooking, baking and recipe development, and I love craft beer so much that sometimes I even sneak it into my food!
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